Kate Middleton meets families of Southport victims with William in surprise joint appearance – latest news
The Princess of Wales has made a surprise joint appearance with Prince William to meet the bereaved families of the Southport attacks today.
Marking their first joint engagement since Kate’s cancer treatment, the couple privately met the bereaved families in Merseyside.
The Princess is said to have attended because she wanted to show her “support, empathy and compassion to the local community”.
As well as meeting with the victim’s families, Kate spoke to first responders and the dance teacher who was present at the July attack.
Meanwhile, King Charles has issued a statement expressing his “greatest sadness” after the death of inspirational Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert.
Ms Ebert won global praise for speaking out about her experience of Auschwitz, where she lost her mother, younger sister, and brother to the gas chambers.
She passed away peacefully at the age of 100 yesterday (10 October), having previously met the King in 2022 after he commissioned a portrait of her.
The monarch said: “It was with the greatest sadness that I heard this morning the news of Lily Ebert’s death.
“As a survivor of the unmentionable horrors of the Holocaust, I am so proud that she later found a home in Britain where she continued to tell the world of the horrendous atrocities she had witnessed.
“Her extraordinary resilience and courage [are] an example to us all, which will never be forgotten.”
Key Points
King to join PM at reception for UK’s international investment summit
The King will join Sir Keir Starmer in meeting business leaders from across the world at a reception linked to the Labour Government’s first major investment summit.
Buckingham Palace confirmed Charles’ attendance at the event, which will take place on Monday evening at St Paul’s Cathedral following the summit.
Alongside the Prime Minister, he will meet guests from sectors including technology, energy and the performing arts.
The reception will be held after around 300 industry leaders gather in London for the Government’s flagship investment summit, at which Sir Keir will pitch the UK as “open for business” as part of his bid to drive growth into the country.
It is not the first time Charles has attended such an event, having hosted former premier Rishi Sunak at a similar reception at Buckingham Palace last year to conclude 2023’s UK Global Investment Summit.
Watch back our event: What do the royal family need to do to stay relevant?
Can the royal family and King Charles adapt to the modern age and stay relevant? Will Harry be able to rejoin The Firm? And what will the next generation of royalty be like?
Hosted by assistant editor Victoria Harper, the panel features bestselling authors Anna Pasternak and Tessa Dunlop, plus royal historian Jonathan Spangler.
What do the royal family need to do to stay relevant?
Can the royal family and King Charles adapt to the modern age and stay relevant? Will Harry be able to rejoin The Firm? And what will the next generation of royalty be like? These and more questions from our audience were answered in The Independent’s virtual event on the future of the royal family. Hosted by assistant editor Victoria Harper, the panel features bestselling authors Anna Pasternak and Tessa Dunlop, plus royal historian Jonathan Spangler. If you enjoy our virtual events, please consider supporting The Independent with a donation or by subscribing to Independent Premium.
Sarah Ferguson praises King Charles’s visit to cancer treatment centre
Speaking on ITV’s This Morning, she said: “I love when the King went to the Cancer Research UK [in April] and actually sat on the sofa.
“And of course, it’s coming from a place of empathy, because he does understand, and… yesterday, the first time when I was sitting there with someone, it’s not just ‘I understand’ – patronising. It’s ‘I know’.”
Sarah, 64, yesterday visited a cancer treatment centre in Manchester, having also recently battled the disease.
Royal family marks World Homelessness Day
In a post shared to Twitter/X, they congratulated walkers for their extraordinary achievement of walking 450 miles, through 11 countries over a six-week period in aid of an anti-homelessness charity.
It read: “Congratulations to Chloe, Jagger, Peter, Cecile and Lorie on your extraordinary achievement! The walkers have been raising money for homelessness charity Emmaus, of which The Queen is Patron.”
A link was then shared for anyone who wishes to donate to the cause. It can be found here.
Prince and Princess of Wales highlight importance of parental wellbeing
They did so by sharing a video from Kate’s Early Years project, which sees members of its Business Taskforce discuss the subject.
“It is vital that we look after the mental health and well-being of parents and carers because this has a significant impact on the children that they are raising,” a contributor said.
Kate and William’s visit a ‘massive boost’ for Southport
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s visit to Southport today has been described as a “massive boost” to those affected by July’s atrocity.
Former chief constable Andy Rhodes, who is involved in The Royal Foundation’s Blue Light Together programme, said: “To have somebody clearly as passionate and genuine about supporting them and their mental health to come and speak to them is a massive boost.”
He also said the future king and queen “genuinely listened” to the people they spoke to.
He added: “It was quite emotional. It is still raw for people.”
Prince William praises Southport emergency workers
The heir to the throne, 42, described them as “true professionals” and said they had endured a “bumpy few months”.
He said: “The first thing we thought about was actually how on earth you guys are going to handle having seen what you’ve seen.
“So please take your time, don’t rush back to work, do whatever you need to, talk about it, give your superiors a hard time if they are not letting you have that time to decompress because it’s so important you have those moments.”
Princess of Wales hugs bereaved Southport families
Phil Garrigan said he had a “really lovely fleeting conversation” with both Kate and William.
He added: “The Princess of Wales broke off and came back into the building to give a hug to the people who responded because she could see the emotion in them and could see it was difficult for them to relay their feelings and to say how impactful events have been.
“I think that just shows a really caring side and is very, very touching for them.”
It is believed that the visit was planned as a solo engagement for William, but Kate, who has recently finished chemotherapy, wanted to attend to show her support as well.
Prince and Princess of Wales carry out first joint engagement since Kate’s cancer treatment
They visited Southport to privately meet with the bereaved families of the Southport attacks, as well as the dance teacher who was present and first responders.
Kate, 42, is said to have wanted to attend to show her “support, empathy and compassion to the local community”.
